MOTOTRBO CAPACITY MAX POWERS LARGEST ELECTRICITY RESTORATION EFFORT IN UTILITY'S HISTORY
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MOTOTRBO CAPACITY MAX POWERS LARGEST ELECTRICITY RESTORATION EFFORT IN UTILITY’S HISTORY CASE STUDY | NOVA SCOTIA POWER
CUSTOMER PROFILE THE CHALLENGE
AN OUTDATED SYSTEM
Nova Scotia Power was using an analog two-way radio system dating back to the
early 1990’s, which was in need of replacement. Users were plagued by poor voice
clarity, requiring them to repeat information which created opportunities for error.
In addition, outdated system requirements such as the need for manual channel
NOVA SCOTIA POWER selection, meant constant user intervention to ensure even simple messages were
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA sent and received.
INDUSTRY “C ommunications were far from seamless, as employees had to know what channel
to be on, based on where they were in the field,” said Rene Larocque, Senior
Utilities
Telecommunications Engineer at Nova Scotia Power. “Users struggled to know
SOLUTIONS when to change channels and what channel to use, creating ongoing inefficiencies
• MOTOTRBO™ Capacity Max that we couldn’t afford with the nature of our time-sensitive and customer-facing
operations.”
• MOTOTRBO™ XPR 7550e digital two-way radios
• MOTOTRBO™ XPR 5550 mobile two-way radios SPOTTY RADIO COVERAGE DROVE EMPLOYEES TO UNRELIABLE MOBILE PHONES
• MOTOTRBO™ Long Range Bluetooth Remote Unreliable communications and a lack of confidence in the existing radio system, led
Speaker Microphone (RSM) employees to use mobile phones to fill the gap. However, in remote parts of Nova
BENEFITS Scotia or during weather-related power outages, cell phone reception could be virtually
nonexistent. This would leave employees isolated, with no viable way to request
• Coordinated communications across hundreds of
utility crews to expedite power restoration backup, provide updates to the team, or receive tracking and location services.
• Reliable, continuous coverage across remote and
rugged Nova Scotia terrain
• Enhanced safety for field employees with Push-to-
Talk, GPS tracking and lone worker alerts
• Rock-solid reliability for day-to-day communications
and unforeseen emergencies
• Communication through mobile in vehicle up to 100
meters through Long Range RSM
CASE STUDY | NOVA SCOTIA POWER 2
THE CHALLENGE
“When employees would switch to cell phones, it meant we were relying on someone
else’s network, which we didn’t want,” said Larocque. “We needed our own system
to allow us to be up and running at all times, particularly during emergency situations
when residents and businesses were counting on us the most.”
NEED FOR IMPROVED COORDINATION DURING LARGE-SCALE OUTAGES
Nova Scotia’s location in the eastern region of Canada means Nova Scotia Power
THE SOLUTION
faces winter storms and hurricanes with the potential for large-scale outages.
Nova Scotia Power turned to Motorola Solutions
When a weather-related incident occurred, the utility’s old system made it difficult
channel partner, Bell Mobility, in deploying MOTOTRBO
to streamline communications across employees, who would be tasked with rapid
Capacity Max — a highly secure trunked radio
response and power restoration after the storm. The system had a single, conventional
communications system designed to help organizations
repeater at each radio site. Users had to know what repeater channel to be on for the
transform operations, improve productivity and
area and dial the 4-digit radio number of the truck they wanted to speak with.
drive safer operations. Trusted by companies and
“We had one central switch with no redundancy – not what you want when you’re organizations with business-critical initiatives
dealing with emergency situations,” said Larocque. “At most sites, we only had requiring high levels of reliability, the Capacity Max
one repeater, so if it went down, coverage would disappear. It was clear we architecture is optimized for time-sensitive, demanding
needed a system with broader reach and coverage to expedite operations during deployments.
emergencies.”
Nova Scotia Power appreciated the system’s rock-solid
reliability in support of day-to-day communications, as
KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON WITHOUT COMPROMISING SAFETY well as fast-moving emergencies. Nova Scotia Power
The nature of the utility business means Nova Scotia Power employees often work in gained impressive capacity and coverage, with the
demanding environments and difficult conditions. While the company is focused on ability to support 250 sites with up to 3,000 users
its responsiveness during outages and preparing for potential emergencies, it must and 29 voice and data channels per site. Currently,
ensure safety in the field at all times. This requires always-on communications, secure the utility has approximately 500 users on the system
connectivity and Push-to-Talk (PTT) capabilities during mission-critical operations, all across 52 sites, with the ability to scale as future
features that the old system struggled to deliver. For example, when employees worked needs require. With MOTOTRBO XPR 7550e digital
in a bucket truck repairing lines, they had to come back down to the ground in order to two-way radios and MOTOTRBO XPR 5550e mobile
use the radio. This slowed operations and prevented real-time updates across groups. two-way radios in place, Nova Scotia Power can take
advantage of all the features MOTOTRBO Capacity
“We wanted to be able to connect with everyone in a group, or across all sites, with Max offers, including advanced location tracking,
the push of a button, whenever needed,” said Larocque. remote programming and enhanced security.
CASE STUDY | NOVA SCOTIA POWER 3
THE BENEFITS
POWERFUL SOLUTION FOR INSTANT, RELIABLE COMMUNICATIONS “During Hurricane Dorian, we had very limited cell
With MOTOTRBO Capacity Max, Nova Scotia Power had a system in place to phone coverage and the radios were a necessity,”
effectively respond when Hurricane Dorian made contact. At the peak of the storm, said Travis Eisener, T&D Supervisor, Western Territory
412,000 customers lost power. at Nova Scotia Power. “In this difficult time, I had two
backhoe contractors working every day for well over
MOTOTRBO XPR 7550e and MOTOTRBO XPR 5550e two-way radios met the utility’s a week. Since they carried radios we could keep in
coverage, capacity and service needs. Employees had a crisp, responsive user contact with them in real time and ensure there were
experience, with most background noise automatically eliminated, even in harsh no delays waiting for their next job.”
weather conditions. Using pre-configured radio talkgroups, power line technicians could
instantly share vital updates with control system operators via a request to talk feature KEEPING EMPLOYEES SAFE IN THE FIELD
program on the one touch access button. This is particularly critical during widespread
MOTOTRBO Capacity Max and two-way radios provide
outages, as lines need to be safely cleared or rerouted before power can be restored.
an ongoing safety net for Nova Scotia Power, built
“During the hurricane, cell phone networks were down for several days, but to deliver communications wherever an employee’s
MOTOTRBO Capacity Max and MOTOTRBO radios performed as if nothing had day takes them. The radios have even delivered
happened,” said Larocque. “Reliable radio communications were vital to support uninterrupted coverage to remote areas of Cape Breton
timely damage assessments and deploy the right people to areas of immediate Island at the far eastern end of the province, and in
priority.” basements of far-flung facilities, areas that previously
left crews without coverage due to dense forests,
rugged coastline or thick concrete walls.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE COVERAGE PROVINCE-WIDE
MOTOTRBO Capacity Max also delivers superior handoff capabilities, providing The utility has improved safety and connectivity
seamless roaming and uninterrupted coverage as employees are en route to new across its entire workforce. Today, all employees in
service locales. Employees no longer turn to cell phones to communicate, instead the field can take advantage of the emergency radio
relying on Motorola Solutions radios for reliable, 24x7x365 connectivity. function when injured or in distress, directly connecting
to an operator who will contact first responders. In
Nova Scotia Power deployed two repeaters per site, enabling operators to access data addition, with the MOTOTRBO Lone Worker application,
such as vehicle location data, in addition to voice capabilities, for enhanced visibility employees working alone have a dedicated panic alarm
and safety. Plus, users received an improved day-to-day communications process and emergency call capabilities while the utility can
with instant access to anyone and everyone in their talk group via one-button PTT use GPS location data to maintain accurate worker
functionality. This eliminated the need for employees to search for channels and shifted tracking and protection. Plus, employees in bucket
users’ perceptions of radio communications for the better, with employees finding it trucks no longer must descend to make a call. They
offered a better overall experience than cell phones. are now equipped with a wireless microphone to
provide seamless radio access while elevated in the
SEAMLESS COORDINATION FOR FAST EMERGENCY RESPONSE air, ensuring critical communications availability at
MOTOTRBO Capacity Max powered communications during Hurricane Dorian response, distances up to 100 meters line of sight.
the largest power restoration effort in Nova Scotia Power’s history. The system enabled
“W hen we are under intense pressure to get power
connection and swift coordination across 600 utility crews around the province, far
back up and running, our communications system
more than what’s deployed after a typical storm.
has to be rock solid,” said Larocque. “We simply
As a result, alerts were sent and received by the utility’s workforce in real time, with would not be able to do our jobs as effectively
simple one touch PTT providing instantaneous communications to help restore power without the reach and reliability MOTOTRBO
more quickly. Approximately 85 percent of the 412,000 customers who experienced provides —by far, the best communications
outages regained power within four days. technology investment we’ve ever made.”
“T he MOTOTRBO Capacity Max proved its worth and then some during Hurricane
Dorian,” said Larocque. “With so many moving parts and time-sensitive priorities,
we could operate as quickly and efficiently as possible, communicating faster,
reporting damage faster, and more quickly staffing up where needed.”
CASE STUDY | NOVA SCOTIA POWER 4
For more information, on the MOTOTRBO Capacity Max system and two-way radios, please visit: www.motorolasolutions.com/utilities Motorola Solutions, Inc. 500 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Il 60661 U.S.A. motorolasolutions.com MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2020 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. 04-2020
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